Physiological condition, gut morphology and immune responses of broilers supplemented with Moringa oleifera leaf extract, whey protein or their combination

To improve growth performance and health, the broiler industry has recently incorporated plant sources and dairy milk byproducts as feed additives. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MOLE) and whey protein concentrate (WPC) or their combination on production performance, physiological status, gut integrity and immune responses of broilers. A total of 364 day old broiler chicks were used and assigned according to a com-pletely randomized design with four dietary treatments, including CONT (basal feed as control), MOLE (basal feed + 1% MOLE), WPC (basal feed + 1% WPC), and MOLE-WPC (basal feed + 0.5% MOLE + 0.5% WPC). Daily weight gain and daily feed intake of broilers were higher in WPC and CONT groups (P<0.05) compared to MOLE group. The low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were lower in CONT and WPC (P<0.05) than in MOLE and MOLE-WPC groups. The serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) were lower in MOLE group (P<0.05) than in MOLE-WPC. In comparison to the CONT and WPC groups, the villi height and ratio of villi to crypt depth in the duodenum were more favorable in the MOLE and MOLE-WPC groups. The lactose negative enterobacteria have a lower number (P<0.05) in MOLE group. Histologically, the jejunum, ileum, and spleen were in better condi-tion in the MOLE and MOLE-WPC groups (P<0.05) than in the other groups. In conclusion, supple-menting MOLE, WPC or their combination improved the gut integrity and immune organ, but had no appreciable impact on production performance and physiological status in broilers.